Development of citrus peel by-product as a slice jam by using two-level factorial design.

Natural slice jam from the citrus peel is a product that enhances the economic value of the waste of citrus fruit peel. The goal of the study was to improve a recipe for a natural jam made entirely from citrus peel and shaped into a square to make it a more convenient and ready-to-eat product. A two-level factorial design was used to investigate the effects of four independent variables; X1: concentration lemon peel (Citrus limonum), X2: concentration orange peel (Citrus sinensis), X3: storage temperature, and X4: sugar. Sample processing was performed at range between 10 and 20 g of lemon and orange peel concentration and sugar (6-10 g) at a constant gelatine weight of 1.6 g. The samples were stored at 2 °C and 25 °C, and textural properties (hardness and adhesiveness) were evaluated. Results indicated that concentrations of lemon peel (10 g), orange peel (15 g), sugar (8 g), and storage temperature (13.5 °C) significantly influenced jam texture. Interaction effects, including AD, BC, and BD, were notable. Optimal conditions favoured higher orange peel concentration. Validation experiments confirmed a maximum 10 g lemon peel concentration with an error below 10%. Despite room temperature storage causing textural quality deterioration due to syneresis, this study contributes valuable insights for food industry applications of natural products, greener and more cost-effective. The factorial design approach effectively optimized citrus peel slice jam formulation, demonstrating the significance of applied sciences in addressing practical challenges.

Gut microbiome and metabolome of sea cucumber (Stichopus ocellatus) as putative markers for monitoring the marine sediment pollution in Pahang, Malaysia.

Antibiotic contamination in the marine environment forms an emerging threat to marine ecosystems. This study aimed to compare the gut and coelomic microbiota of Stichopus ocellatus with sediments between two coastal districts of Pahang, which potentially conferring as putative biomarkers for sediment pollution monitoring. The composition of the bacteria communities was determined using 16S rRNA V3-region gene amplicon sequencing, while hybrid whole-genome sequencing was employed to analyze the genome of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The trace elements and antibiotic compositions were access using high-throughput spectrometry. The alpha- and beta-diversity of bacteria in gut and sediment samples from Kuantan differed substantially within (p-value = 0.017604) and between samples (p-value <0.007), respectively. Vibrio genera predominated in Kuantan samples, while Flavobacterium and Synechococcus_E genera predominated in Pekan samples. Vibrio parahaemolyticus revealed the presence of tet(35) and blaCARB-33 genes that conceived resistance towards tetracycline and beta-lactam antibiotics, respectively, which were detected in sediment and gut samples.

Production of Volatile Compounds by a Variety of Fungi in Artificially Inoculated and Naturally Infected Aquilaria malaccensis.

Aquilaria malaccensis, the resinous agarwood, is highly valued in the perfumery and medicinal industry. The formation of fragrant agarwood resin inconsistently by various fungi is still not clearly understood. The current study investigated the agarwood quality and fungal diversity in artificially inoculated and naturally infected A. malaccensis. The chemical analysis of volatile compounds of agarwood was performed using the Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) method, and the identification of fungi was made through a morphological observation using a light microscope. Gas chromatography analysis revealed the presence of essential compounds related to high-quality agarwood, such as 4-phenyl-2-butanone, ß-selinene, α-bulnesene, and agarospirol in both artificially inoculated and naturally infected agarwood but with some differences in the abundance. Further studies on the fungi associated with agarwood volatile compounds formation showed a total of ten fungal group isolates, which were identified based on morphological and molecular studies. The study revealed that agarwood from both artificial and natural sources were naturally infected with Fusarium, Botryosphaeria, Aspergillus, Schizophyllum, Phanerochaete, Lasiodiplodia, Polyporales, and Ceriporia species. This study has offered a potential opportunity to research further the promising development of fungal strains for artificial inducement of high-quality agarwood formation from A. malaccensis trees.

In vitro cytotoxicity of Clinacanthus nutans fractions on breast cancer cells and molecular docking study of sulphur containing compounds against caspase-3.

Clinacanthus nutans has attracted Malaysian public interest due to its high medicinal value in the prevention of cancer. Currently, the specific compound or compounds giving rise to the anticancer potential of C. nutans has not been investigated thoroughly. The extraction was carried out by MeOH at room temperature using the powdered bark of C. nutans, while chromatography was carried out on a silica gel RP-18 column using the crude methanolic extract. Six fractions collected from column chromatography were evaluated by MTT assay against two breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. Amongst the fractions, A12 and A17 were shown to exhibit the highest activity. Two sulphur-containing compounds, viz., entadamide C (1) and clinamide D (2), were isolated from these fractions. Molecular docking simulation studies revealed that entadamide C and clinamide D could bind favourably to the caspase-3 binding site with the binding energy of -4.28 kcal/mol and -4.84 kcal/mol, respectively. This study provides empirical evidence for the presence of sulphur-containing compounds in the leaves of C. nutans that displayed anticancer effects which explains its ethnomedicinal application against breast cancer. The docking simulation study showed that both compounds could serve as important templates for future drug design and development.

Comparative Study of Onion (Allium cepa) and Leek (Allium ampeloprasum): Identification of Organosulphur Compounds by UPLC-QTOF/MS and Anticancer Effect on MCF-7 Cells.

Onion (Allium cepa) and leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) are common herbs and vegetables found in our daily life. It belongs to the genus Allium, which is usually known for their high antioxidant and anticancer properties. Medical researchers highly recommend the exploitation of herbs and plants as alternative ways in the treatment of cancer. This research was designed to study the anticancer effects of onion and leek extracts on MCF-7 human breast cancer cell. Crude extracts of ethanol, methanol, and water of onion and leek were obtained by maceration. MCF-7 cells were cultured in complete media at 37 °C and subjected to different treatments that involved varying concentrations (10, 50, and 100 µg/mL) of onion and leek extracts for 24, 48, and 72 h of incubation. The percentage of cell viability and the concentration of extracts on MCF-7 cells were determined using MTT assay. The water leek extract proved to be the most effective extract at 50 µg/mL, whereby it showed a significant inhibition ability due to the presence of entadamide A-ß-D-glucopyranoside as identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). Further studies about the mechanism of both extracts in causing cell death and the determination of the presence of other bioactive compounds in the extracts are needed.

Comparative structural analysis of fruit and stem bromelain from Ananas comosus.

Cysteine proteases in pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants are phytotherapeutical agents that demonstrate anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and fibrinolytic activities. Bromelain has been identified as an active component and as a major protease of A. comosus. Bromelain has gained wide acceptance and compliance as a phytotherapeutical drug. The proteolytic fraction of pineapple stem is termed stem bromelain, while the one presents in the fruit is known as fruit bromelain. The amino acid sequence and domain analysis of the fruit and stem bromelains demonstrated several differences and similarities of these cysteine protease family members. In addition, analysis of the modelled fruit (BAA21848) and stem (CAA08861) bromelains revealed the presence of unique properties of the predicted structures. Sequence analysis and structural prediction of stem and fruit bromelains of A. comosus along with the comparison of both structures provides a new insight on their distinct properties for industrial application.

UPLC-QTOF/MS-based phenolic profiling of Melastomaceae, their antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effects against human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231.

Eleven compounds were identified during profiling of polyphenols by UPLC-QTOF/MS. In abundance was quercetin-3-O-α-l-arabinofuranoside in M. malabathricum ethanolic leaves extract while 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-O-glucoside was present in the leaves extract of M. decenfidum (its rare variety). TPC and TFC were significantly higher in M. decemfidum extract than M. malabathricum extract. During DPPH, FRAF and ß-carotene bleaching assays, M. decemfidum extract exhibited greater antioxidant activity compared to M. malabathricum extract. Effect of M. malabathricum and M. decemfidum extracts on viability of MDA-MB-231 cell at concentrations 6.25-100 µg/mL were evaluated for 24, 48 and 72 h. After 48 and 72 h treatment, M. malabathricum and M. decemfidum leaves extracts exhibited significant activity in inhibiting MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line with M. malabathricum extract being more cytotoxic. M. malabathricum and M. imbricatum serves as potential daily dietary source of natural phenolics and to improve chemotherapeutic effectiveness.